The Team

Erin Atkinson Cook, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA and holds the Van Wagoner Endowed Chair. She leads education for the Division of Geriatrics and directs the UCLA-VA Geriatrics Fellowship. A national leader, she serves on the ADGAP Board and has received multiple teaching awards, including the 2024 Landres Award.
 

Angel Burrell is the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program Manager at UCLA, with over two years of experience supporting graduate medical education. She oversees program operations, coordinates educational activities, and supports fellows and faculty. Angel is committed to maintaining a high-quality training environment and advancing the fellowship’s mission.

Arun Karlamangla, PhD, MD, received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California and his MD from the University of Michigan Medical School. He is a geriatrician and clinical epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to residency and fellowship training in internal medicine and geriatrics, he brings doctoral training and years of teaching and experience in statistical signal processing.

Dr. Chen is a Professor of Medicine at UCLA and a leader in geriatrics and medical education. She leads UCLA Health’s Age-Friendly initiative and previously served as Clinical Chief of Geriatrics. She founded the Professionalism Pillar Series to mentor fellows and prepare them for leadership in modern medicine.

Dr. Wong is an assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and specializes in nursing home care. She has a passion for quality improvement and loves guiding fellows on their QI projects during the year. She earned her medical degree from Stony Brook School of Medicine, completed her internal medicine residency at UC Davis, and her geriatric fellowship at UCLA. Dr. Wong holds a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Brown University

Dr. Cathy C. Lee is a Professor of Internal Medicine and Division Chief of Geriatrics at the Greater Los Angeles VA. She completed a combined BS/MD program at Union College and Albany Medical College, followed by residency at Penn State and a Geriatrics Fellowship at the University of Michigan, where she earned a Master’s in Clinical Research. At UCLA, she co-directs the MSTAR program and mentors students in aging research.

Dr. Cal Burton is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCLA and a geriatric hospitalist at the Greater Los Angeles VA, where he leads the inpatient geriatrics service. He is core faculty in the geriatrics fellowship and serves as a section editor for the American Geriatrics Society’s Geriatric Review Syllabus. His academic work focuses on LGBTQI+ older adults, and he led development of the AGS 2026 position statement in this area.

Dr. Castle is Clinical Professor of Geriatric Medicine at UCLA, Clinical Director of Geriatrics at the VA Greater Los Angeles and was a Governor appointee to the California Commission on Aging from 2013-18. He is also the first physician certified as a FallPROOF!TM Instructor from Cal State Fullerton. His degrees are from Miami University and Ohio State School of Medicine. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Heather D’Adamo, MD, is an Associate Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine, board certified in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine with a specialization in nursing home care. She serves as a staff attending at the Community Living Center at the VA Nursing Home in West Los Angeles and is a certified medical director. Dr. D’Adamo has a strong interest in medical education design and currently serves as the VA site director for the fellowship.

Susan D. Leonard, MD, is a board-certified geriatrician and clinician-educator at UCLA. She leads Post-Acute and Long-Term Care, directs the nursing home program, and serves as SNF Director for the Geriatric Fellowship. Her work focuses on care transitions, interdisciplinary care, quality improvement, and medical education.

Dr. Hess is originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Hess attended medical school at the University of Washington, residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado and fellowship in geriatrics at UCLA.  She cares for older adults in the Harbor Geriatrics Clinic and has an interest in dementia in multicultural populations as well as the detection and prevention of elder abuse.

Dr. Angela Yeh is an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA in Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She completed fellowships in Geriatric Medicine and Hospice & Palliative Medicine at UCLA and now serves as Program Director for the Integrated Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Yeh works primarily in inpatient geriatrics and palliative care and has special interests in medical education, compassionate care, and Dignity Therapy integration.